OIL SPILL WORRIES GROW AS OIL SPILL CONTINUES
The BP Oil Spill is on track to become the biggest environmental and economic disaster ever in the Gulf Coast, and possibly in the world. Millions of gallons of oil are continuing to spill into the Gulf Coast’s fragile ecosystem.
BP says it may take another 75 days to stop the oil flow. In another 75 days, the oil spill may leak as much as 20 million gallons of oil in the Gulf, nearly double the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. The environmental effects may exceed that of the Alaskan Coastline because the Gulf’s coast is more sponge like from the mangrove forests and sea-grass beds. As a result, the oil will invariably cling to the wetlands and will be extremely difficult, if not impossible to remove.
The economic effects are already being felt around the Gulf. Some of the fishing grounds are now off-limits and some restaurants in New Orleans and elsewhere are out of homegrown oysters.